Glasgow’s a winner as world gets set for Commonwealth Games action

With Glasgow ready to host the Commonwealth Games, we look at its many attractions

The modernistic Riverside Museum is centrepiece of the impressive Clydeside regeneration[ALAMY]

TAKE TO THE WATER

Take to the water to witness the ongoing regeneration of Glasgow’s former shipbuilding yards, such as 160 acres of the once-deprived East End into the Games district with venues such as the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Join one of the Clyde Cruises (www.clydecruises.com) that operate from City Centre Pontoon (under central station) via the Glasgow Science Centre (www.glasgowsciencecentre.org) at Pacific Quay. While the East End is home to the Athletes’ Village, the quayside will host many of this month’s varied cultural events.

STEP BACK IN TIME

The gleaming glass centrepiece of the Clydeside regeneration is the Riverside Museum (www.glasgowmuseums.com). Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, it’s home to more than 3,000 objects from the city’s past including vintage trams and subway trains, as well as interactive exhibits such as a mock-up of an Edwardian photography studio and a recreated turn-of-the-century Glasgow street scene.

During the Games the museum will host an urban beach with deck chairs outside the main entrance. Here will be the best spot to watch the Commonwealth Flotilla when 250 sailing boats take to the River Clyde on July 26. Afterwards, explore the Tall Ship at Riverside (www.thetallship.com), the Glenlee, berthed behind the museum.

ON THE MACKINTOSH TRAIL

Glasgow’s gallery scene has grown exponentially since the city became the European Capital of Culture in 1990. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the early 20th-century architect with a dandyish sense of fashion, remains the founding father of artistic Glasgow. He designed Glasgow School of Art (www.gsa.ac.uk/tours), which was devastated by a fire in May. During its restoration, the usual one-hour tour of the building has been replaced by an external tour examining its façade as well as local architectural gems connected to Mackintosh. Many of his

buildings are open to the public, notably the Willow Tea Rooms located near the GSA on Sauchiehall Street and the Mackintosh House, a reassembled interior of the family home at Florentine Terrace at the Hunterian Art Gallery (www.glasgow.ac.uk/hunterian).

THE MODERN WORLD

There’s more Mackintosh to discover at the genteel Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (www.glasgowmuseums.com), set in parkland. Walking from the trendy café and gallery district of Finnieston, you’ll pass the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre, the scene for one of Scotland’s best medal hopes.

Diver Tom Daley, runner Christine Ohuruogu and cyclist Bradley Wiggins will be among the Britons competing at the Commonwealth Games

Of the Kelvingrove’s 22 themed galleries, Mackintosh features in Glasgow Style, while Glasgow Stories is a new addition charting the development of the city from industrialisation and the Victorian merchant era through to its cultural renaissance.

A converted tram depot, the Tramway arts centre will host the 2015 Turner Prize – fitting given so many recent winners and shortlisted artists, such as Martin Boyce (2011), come from or are based in the city.

A TASTE OF SCOTLAND

Glasgow’s dining scene has moved on from deep-fried Mars bars and Irn-Bru with the ubiquitous chip remaining the stalwart champion of local produce. The best places to eat and drink are along Byres Road. Avenue G is the best café on the strip, while Òran Mór, an arts centre and bar, is home to the lunchtime theatre, A Play, A Pie and A Pint.

BRING ON THE GAMES

Diver Tom Daley, runner Christine Ohuruogu and cyclist Bradley Wiggins will be among the Britons competing at the Commonwealth Games whose opening ceremony takes place at Celtic Park on July 23.

As well as free events such as cycling and the marathon, Glasgow is hosting 1,000 cultural events from July 19 until the closing ceremony at Hampden Park on August 3. Three live zones – Glasgow Green, Merchant City and Kelvingrove Park – will act as event hubs with giant screens for the Festival 2014 programme. Highlights include a Classical Marathon Day, led by violinist Nicola Benedetti; the Barrowland Ballet production, The River, on the banks of the Clyde; and a celebration of contemporary Scottish art, Generation, at various venues to celebrate the turn-of-the-century art movement called the Glasgow Miracle.

To get you in the mood, today is the Glasgow Grand Prix in Hampden Park, an athletics meeting that features Ohuruogu as well as Mo Farah, long jumper Greg Rutherford and many more.